Recovering
by ZizhunWriter
Summary: Sequel to Kidnapped. Everyone is back home, trying to get back into their lives. But, after everything they've been through, it isn't easy. Bae is also a main character.
1. Home

**Author's Note: Hello all. This is a sequel to Kidnapped, so if you haven't read that story, some concepts in this might be confusing. I suggest you read that first, to better understand this one. If not, you can PM me or review, and I can attempt to give you a summary of it.**

**Also, Bae is a huge part of this, just like Belle, Gold, Archie, and Killian. However, I could only tag four characters, and he just happens to be the odd one out. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Gold walked through the door, holding Bae's hand, and felt relief. He was finally home from the hospital. He could finally spend time with his precious boy. David Nolan followed them in, just long enough to put his wife's homemade spaghetti on the counter, before leaving them alone to enjoy being together.

Gold almost instantly put the food onto two plates, and father and son dug into the delicious food. Gold was content to stay mostly silent as Bae talked almost faster than he could think, excited to tell his father of all his adventures with Emma while he was still in the hospital. The boy barely remembered to take bites of his food in between his stories of fighting dragons and going to the park with one of his best friends. Robert found himself having to constantly remind Baden to eat, something he usually didn't have to do when spaghetti was the meal. After one small bite of his still mostly-full plate, Bae changed topics.

"Papa, the only bad thing was bedtime. I missed your bedtime story." Gold almost choked, but Baden kept talking, telling his father what the Nolan's did as their bedtime ritual. For the first time that night, Robert ignored his son, too busy worrying to care that the Nolan's read _Goodnight Moon _to Emma, or that Baden had acquired a strong dislike for the book somehow. All he could think about was how he was going to have to disappoint his son. The doctor had told him to take things easy, because even though he was out of the hospital, the bullet wound still needed time to heal. Picking his son up, as was part of their bedtime ritual, would certainly not help his recovery. But, Bae had told him he missed their bedtime story, and he couldn't let his little boy down.

"Son," Gold said, interrupting Baden's story of how the Dream Catchers, whatever those were, only took away nightmares if you remembered them before going to sleep. "I'll be right back, alright? You eat at least five bites while I'm gone."

"Okay Papa," Bae agreed, already putting some spaghetti into his mouth as Gold left the room. He would need help to tuck his son into bed, and he only knew of one person who Bae had let help in their bedtime ritual before. Luckily, he had Belle's number, even though they hadn't had much of a chance to talk since she'd been released from the hospital. He dialed, and she picked up almost instantly.

"Hello, this is Belle," she greeted.

"Hi, this is Robert." Before she could respond, he found himself babbling. "I just got home with Bae and I need to tuck him in tonight but the wound is still too painful and I thought maybe you could help?" He tried to catch his breath in the silence that followed, and for a second he was sure she wasn't going to answer him.

"Ok, sure! What's your address?"

* * *

Belle put her cup of apple cider in the sink, and shut off her computer, before grabbing her keys and dashing out the door. She would have plenty of time to work on her story later, and she was excited to see Baden again. She'd missed him more than she thought she would, and, if she was being honest with herself, she missed his father almost as much.

She found herself having trouble staying within the speed limit, something she usually got mad at other drivers for. Maybe she could understand their need for speed a little better now. If they had even half as good a reason as she currently did, she could easily forgive them.

Soon, she reached the house, and she paused for a second at the sight of what was practically a mansion. Robert had never mentioned that he was filthy rich. Shaking her head to dispel some of the shock she was currently feeling, she walked up to the door and knocked. Robert opened it, relief written all over his face. "Thank you so much," he said as he ushered her inside. "Bae's upstairs, waiting for us."

In truth, his son was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing Belle again, and the only way Gold had convinced him to go put his pajamas on was that Belle couldn't tuck him in if he wasn't ready for bed. Soon, they were standing outside Baden's room, and that was when Belle decided to be brave. "It's good to see you again."

He turned scarlet at her complement, and barely managed to say, "You too," before opening the door to his son's room.

"Belle!" Baden yelled, running over and slamming into her, wrapping his arms around her. She embraced him, realizing only then that she'd missed him even more than she'd previously thought.

"Bae, it's so good to see you."

"You too." She bit back a giggle at the similar response father and son had given to the same statement, but with very different tones. "I missed you, Belle. It's awesome that you're here again. Maybe we could watch a movie, or …"

"It's already half an hour past your bedtime," Gold admonished.

"But Papa, Belle's here! Can't I do something with her for just a little bit?" Baden pleaded. Gold felt himself caving to his little boy's wish. He usually had trouble convincing himself not to spoil Bae, but it seemed that after almost losing him, he was even more prone to bend to his every request.

"Bae, you really should get to bed," Belle interrupted before Robert had a chance to speak. "But, maybe I could come over sometime this week to spend some time with you. How does that sound?"

"Great!" Bae agreed, already looking forward to spending time with her later. Gold was still in shock that Belle had actually offered to come over just to spend time with his son. She truly was remarkable. "Guess how much I love you?" It took a second for Gold to realize his son had already started.

"Oh, I don't think I could guess that." Baden grinned thoroughly enjoying the comfort of having both his father and his favorite bedtime story back.

"This much," Baden claimed, stretching out his arms.

"But I love you this much," Gold said, stretching out his own arms. Belle noticed him grimace slightly as he did so, and she wondered how much his wound was still bothering him. It was certainly a good thing that he'd decided to enlist help for this bedtime ritual.

"Well, I love you as high as I can reach," Bae countered, standing on his tip toes to maximize the effect.

"I love you as high as Belle can reach." Not realizing she was going to be enlisted for help this soon, Belle quickly threw her arms in the air. Baden laughed at the shocked look on her face, before doing a handstand with his feet touching the wall.

"I love you up to my toes."

Belle, remembering what came next from the only other time she'd helped, picked him up by his hands and spun him around the room, careful to make sure he didn't hit into anything. "I love you up to your toes."

Robert watched, a bit forlornly, as Bae giggled in Belle's safe grasp. He missed doing this with his son, and he knew it would be awhile before he could do it again. At least his son could still experience this, even if he no longer could. Soon, Belle set him down, and Bae was finally able to stop giggling.

"I love you as high as I can hop." Soon, both he and Belle were jumping up and down. Belle started to wonder if Gold had worked out before, or if this had counted as his workout, because she was starting to get exhausted already.

"I love you as high as Belle can hop."

Baden finally started to get tired of hopping, so he stopped. "I love you across the street."

"I love you across the street, though the neighborhood, and to the park," Robert said, smiling as his son tried to suppress a yawn. This story always worked to wear his little boy out.

"I love you guys to the moon," he whispered, as Belle gently picked him up and lay him down in bed.

"We love you to the moon and back," Gold whispered back, and Belle found herself touched that yet again, she'd been included in such a sweet tradition.

"Papa?" Bae called as the adults were about to sneak out of the room.

"Yes, Bae?"

"I wish Belle could help say goodnight to me every night." Belle felt her heart melt as such a sweet comment, and she found herself wishing the same thing. Gold was shocked, not from his boy's words, but at the vision of him and Belle, taking turns for who actually twirled Bae around, but neither of them minded because tucking in their little baby was just as precious. What was he thinking? He hardly knew Belle, and he was already day dreaming about marrying her! It must be her love for his little boy that attracted him to her so strongly.

"Well, I'm sure she'd love that," he responded, and satisfied with that answer, Baden snuggled under the covers, ready to go to sleep. The two adults tip-toed out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.

Soon, they were downstairs, and Belle was starting to kind of head to the door, when Gold decided he needed to learn more about this woman who loved his son so much. "You know, you could stay a little longer, if you wanted to. It would be terribly rude of me to call you down here to tuck in Bae and kick you out right afterwards."

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know Baden's father. "Sure." He grinned, and asked her to sit down on the couch. It was when he came back with a very expensive bottle of wine that Belle started to get a little nervous. "Um, Robert, I don't want to read too much into this or anything, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm dating someone." She felt herself turning scarlet at the assumption that he had a crush on her. He might just want to get to know her for Baden's sake, but still, she didn't want to accidentally break his heart if she could help it.

She was dating someone? It felt like his heart was crumbling into tiny pieces, but he should have known someone as special as Belle would have a boyfriend. How could she not? "Oh, well, I just wanted to get to know you." _Besides, you hardly know her! How can you already have a crush on her?_

"Ok, good. Me too." He poured her a glass of the wine, and she accepted, before he took a glass of his own. She took a sip, and her eyes lit up in shock. "This is amazing!"

He chuckled. "Well it should be. I didn't have it imported from France for nothing." She stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly.

"What's your job, exactly?" He'd just started to realize that Belle had probably never seen anyone quite this rich before, and he wondered what she thought about it. He hoped she didn't consider him a snob, or arrogant.

"I own Golden Fabrics. It's a company that makes some of the best fabric in the world, a lot of high end clothing stores get their fabric from us."

"Oh, ok." Belle was still having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that the Gold family was so rich.

"Um, what do you do?" Robert asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"I'm a librarian. And, I'm attempting to become an author, but I have yet to get anything published." She didn't know why she told him she was an aspiring author. She hadn't even told her father or Garret that, because she knew they would tell her that the dream was unlikely to come true. However, she had a feeling she would get a different response from Robert.

"Really? What type of books do you want to write?" Yes, a totally different response than anyone else she knew.

"Well, for a while I thought I wanted to write young adult books, and I still do, but after spending some time with your son, I've come up with a couple good ideas for children's books."

"Really?" Robert asked, and he looked genuinely interested in what she had to say, so she launched into the story she was currently working on about the dream catchers.

Gold found himself in shock by how interesting she could make her ideas sound, and was soon listening to pretty much every idea she'd ever come up with, which she shared easily. Whether the book was meant for children or adults, whether it was sci-fi or a western, Robert was sure he would buy any book that the creative woman in front of him had written.

"Oh gosh, it's one o'clock in the morning!" Belle exclaimed, and Robert realized, with a bit of shock and sorrow, that she was right.

"I'm sorry I kept you so late," Gold apologized as Belle scrambled to her feet, grabbing her purse.

"No, it's not your fault at all," Belle argued, and she was about to make her way to the door when she stumbled slightly.

"Belle are you alright?" he asked, before noticing the bottle of wine he'd brought out was more empty than he'd thought. He'd only had one glass, but Belle must have poured herself a few more, due to the novel taste of it. "Are you drunk?"

"Er, no." Thinking back on it, she had shared a few rather personal things about her stories very easily, probably a bit too easily for a person she hardly knew.

"That's it, I'm driving you home," he insisted.

"But how will I get my car?" Darn it, but she had a really good point there. He froze, trying to think of a way around that question that didn't involve Belle driving home drunk.

"I'll have someone deliver it to you," he insisted. "Or I'll drive it now and take the taxi home."

"But you can't take a taxi, not with your injury, and I need my car for work tomorrow." Darn it, darn it, darn it.

"Maybe you could sleep in a guest room tonight?" She grinned, and little too widely, and nodded in agreement. She easily let him lead her up the stairs, and she sat down on the bed.

"Um, okay, so my bedroom is right down the hall if you need anything." She nodded, and he started to walk out of the room.

"Goodnight, Robert."

"Goodnight, Belle." And with that, he closed the door to her room and walked to his, wondering how tucking in a little boy could lead so quickly to intoxication.


	2. Nightmares and Breakfast

**Author's Note: I like to do a Previously section, so everyone can remember what I just wrote. I will do that for this story, too.**

**Previously on Recovering**

**"Goodnight, Belle." And with that, he closed the door to her room and walked to his, wondering how tucking in a little boy could lead so quickly to intoxication.**

**"Bae, you really should get to bed," Belle interrupted before Robert had a chance to speak. "But, maybe I could come over sometime this week to spend some time with you."**

* * *

Archie set the mounds of paperwork aside, deciding it was time for bed and he'd work more in the morning. After all, no one really expected him to catch up quickly after being in the hospital for a week. He limped up the stairs, still in pain due to Shepard. As he passed the door to Killian's new room, he heard a sob. He swung open the door, and Killian's head jerked up, fear filling his eyes. Once he realized who it was, the teen relaxed slightly, but there were still tears running down his cheeks.

Archie immediately walked over to him, wiping the tears away before gently tugging the boy into his embrace. They sat there, just hugging, for a while; Archie simply letting Killian sob into his shoulder. After a while, Killian's tears started to slow.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Archie questioned once Killian had regained control of his emotions.

"It was just a nightmare," he admitted, eyes downcast. Why had he, Captain Killian Jones, let such a silly thing get to him?

"Nightmares can be absolutely terrifying." Killian looked up at his foster father in shock. He'd never known it was alright to be scared of nightmares. His father had taught him that was something to be ashamed of. "Talking about them can make them seem less scary," Archie suggested.

Maybe he _should_ try to discuss his dream. "Well, my father …" he trailed off. It was too painful to remember how, in the nightmare, his father had been chasing him with a knife, trying to kill him. Archie didn't press him again, but he did wipe away a fresh batch of tears Killian hadn't even noticed were flowing down his face.

"Killian, I want you to understand something. I will never, ever, let him hurt you." Looking into Archie's eyes, Killian saw more compassion there then he'd ever experienced before. Somehow, that made him feel completely safe.

They sat in silence for a little, Killian not knowing what to say, and Archie wrestling with his emotions. The psychiatrist knew he needed to do what was best for Killian, and right now, it was seeming like that was moving. Being in the same town where his father had raised him must be hard on him, and he might feel safer if they moved to a bigger city. Actually, Dr. Whale had been offering him a position in his hospital for years. However, Archie didn't want to take Killian away from the lake and raft the boy loved so much. He should really just discuss this with him.

"Hey, um, Archie?" Well, he'd waited a bit too long to do it tonight. Maybe they could discuss it in the morning.

"Yes, Killian?"

"Could I sleep in the cave, just for tonight?" Archie had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. "I mean, I was going to, anyway. Not that I want to go behind your back or anything, it's just …"

Archie sighed, realizing what the boy didn't want to say; that he felt the safest there. And he'd so been looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. "Alright, just let me find my sleeping bag."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm not letting you sleep in the cave all by yourself. I'm coming too."

"Thanks Archie!" Killian hugged him tighter, making Archie wince. He barely succeeded in suppressing the groan caused by the pressure on his recovering injuries. "I'll find the sleeping bag for you."

He ran out of the room, and Archie started to make his way slowly back downstairs. Gosh, Killian was going to be a lot of work. Well, at least he'd never get bored again.

…

Robert woke up with a start, trying not to yell and wake up anyone else, though he doubted Belle would wake up until the next morning. Really, though, he didn't need to bother Bae with his nightmares; the boy had gone through enough as it was. Besides, he knew that his son was safe. Nothing was going to happen to his boy, and it was certainly impossible for his incarcerated father to shoot Bae, like he had in the dream.

"Papa?" he jumped up, startled, to find Bae standing at the foot of his bed. "I had a nightmare."

"Come here, son."

Bae climbed up onto the bed, and snuggled in next to his father. Robert held his son tight, never wanting to let him go again. Here, Bae was safe, they were both safe, and he didn't want that to end.

"Papa, can I sleep with you?" It had been about a year since he'd asked that. Bae wanted to be a big boy, and thus sleeping with his Papa was out of the question. While it was terrible his son had to live with such fear, Robert couldn't help but be touched that his son still wanted his help. It was good to know Bae would still ask for his help when he needed it.

"Of course, Bae." The young boy snuggled deeper into his father's embrace, but was careful not to jar his injury. The doctors and the Nolans had warned him to be gentle with his papa's injury, and he was taking their words to heart.

Soon, both men drifted off to sleep, able to rest peacefully with the knowledge that the other was safely in their arms.

…

Belle woke up with the worst hangover she'd ever had. Usually, she was careful not to get drunk, but last night had been different, and she was paying for that now. She now understood how light could hurt so much; the curtains to her room were open, allowing the sunlight to increase her headache.

She rolled over to try and hide from the blinding light, but before she buried her head in the pillow, she noticed a glass of water and some pain medication sitting on the bedside table. Robert must have left it there for her. She gratefully took the meds, before hiding from the world, hoping her headache would disappear.

That only lasted for about ten minutes, before her door was flung open. "Belle, Belle!" Baden yelled, causing her to groan and cover her ears with the pillow. "Papa told me you were still here! Does this mean that …"

"Baden," Robert interrupted, firm but speaking in a much more reasonable volume than his son. "I thought I told you not to disturb Miss Belle."

"Sorry Papa. But, she's still here. Does that mean she's going to stay with us forever?"

"Er, no. That just means she stayed with us last night. Now, you need to eat your breakfast, so you can go to school."

"But Belle's here!" Baden started speaking louder again, and Belle burrowed deeper into the pillow.

"Remember, she'll see you later this week. Now, go on."

"Fine," the five-year-old mumbled, before obeying his Papa and heading downstairs.

"I'm sorry," Robert apologized. "He was just so excited. How's your head?"

Belle could have sworn he asked the question while trying to keep from bursting out laughing. Honestly though, it was sweet of him to apologize for Baden, and it was sweet that Baden was so excited at the prospect of spending time with her. She couldn't really be mad at either of them. "It's terrible."

"Well, I need to take Bae to school, but after that I'll come back to check on you." He wasn't kicking her out? She realized that he must trust her enough to leave her alone in his house. She felt truly flattered by that.

"Okay." He was about to leave, when Belle added, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Belle missed the soft smile on his face, due to her head still being buried in the pillow. He left then, leaving Belle to get over her hangover. But she knew he'd be back as soon as he'd taken care of Baden. That was when it hit her, he must be taking off work to take care of her; and she really needed to call the library to let them know she wouldn't be working today.

Well, that could wait for later, she thought, as she started to drift back off, as could thanking Robert for taking such good care of her.

…

Archie woke up to Killian humming. The boy was docking his raft, meaning he'd gone somewhere this morning without waking Archie up to tell him he'd be gone.

"Killian, where'd you go?" he asked, wondering how to impress the importance of good communication on the teen.

"I got us breakfast. I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up." Killian handed him a muffin and a water bottle, and Archie found himself struggling between feeling touched Killian would have thought to get him breakfast, and worry that the teen thought he could just wander off at any time.

"Thank you Killian. Now, I think there are a few things we need to discuss." Killian turned pale at that, and Archie cursed his word choice. "You're not in trouble, it's just that there are some things I need to communicate to you." Killian nodded, but it was obvious the lad didn't believe him. Sighing, Archie continued. "For one, the importance of communication. It was really thoughtful of you to get me breakfast, and I really appreciate it, but maybe next time you could tell me that you were leaving. What if I'd woken up before you'd got back?" Killian instantly relaxed, when he realized he truly wasn't in trouble. Then, he actually thought about what Archie said.

"I guess you would have been pretty worried about me," he admitted, starting to feel a little guilty. "But, I wanted to surprise you, and I didn't have any paper to write on and leave you a note."

"Alright, so, let's save the surprise breakfasts for when we're actually in the house, yeah?" Killian nodded, looking even guiltier now. "But, I really am touched, Killian. It was very nice of you to get me breakfast."

Killian nodded again, keeping his head down. "Is that it?"

"Kind of. I just have a question for you. Would you feel more comfortable if we moved?" Killian was completely taken aback. He'd lived in this town for his whole life, and, to his knowledge, so had Dr. Hopper. Now, the psychiatrist was suggesting a move just so he'd feel safer?

"Uh, I don't know. I'd have to think about it." Killian really didn't want to leave his raft or cave, but it would be easier to forget about his father if he wasn't in the area where his dad had always been.

"Alright."

They sat in silence for a little, before Killian asked, "Are you going to eat your muffin?" Archie chuckled, before taking a bite of his breakfast.

"It's delicious," Archie informed him. He really hoped he was doing the right thing, that he was being a better parent than his were. He felt like he was on the right track, and Killian seemed to think so too. He really hoped he was right.


	3. Coping

**Author's Note: Sorry this one took a little longer than normal to update, I had writer's block because I've never written someone with a hangover, or even witnessed it first hand. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Previously on Recovering:**

**Robert left then, leaving Belle to get over her hangover. But she knew he'd be back as soon as he'd taken care of Baden.**

**I just have a question for you. Would you feel more comfortable if we moved?" Killian was completely taken aback. He'd lived in this town for his whole life, and, to his knowledge, so had Dr. Hopper. Now, the psychiatrist was suggesting a move just so he'd feel safer?**

* * *

Gold tried not to chuckle as Belle buried her face in her hands. Apparently, the sunglasses he'd given her weren't enough to dim the bright light of the sun streaming through the car window. He knew it wasn't that funny, and that it was his fault for getting her drunk; since he'd introduced her to the wonders of expensive wine. Still, he couldn't help but find it hilarious and adorable how she attempted to avoid making her hangover worse.

"Alright, which way now?"

She forced her head up, mumbling "left," before attempting to hide from the sun again. He pulled into the apartment complex she'd indicated, now even more aware of the monetary gab between him and Belle. It really made him wish he had less money. Not that the complex wasn't nice; it was very nice, actually, but he knew that it cost a minor fraction of what his house did.

"Alright Belle, we're here," he informed her, parking in a spot marked for people who lived here, since he was driving her car. A groan was the only response he got. He sighed, getting out of the car and walking around to get her. "Come on, Belle, we need to get you to your room." She groaned again, but at least this time she forced herself to get out of the car. He lead her, realizing it was like the blind leading the blind, or in this case, the clueless leading the oblivious. "Belle, which way?" he coaxed.

She pointed, and he led her in the direction she'd indicated. When they were finally standing in front of the right apartment, she tried to find her keys. He gently took the purse from her, and unlocked the door. She shouldn't have to do too much while she had such a wicked hangover.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"I thought we agreed, while rescuing Bae; we're done with those." A small smile tugged at her lips for the first time today, and he was glad to be able to get that reaction out of her.

"That was before you took such good care of me." _I'll always take good care of you, _he thought. Luckily, he was able to bite back the cheesy line before it escaped his mouth. _Remember, Gold, she has a boyfriend, _he reprimanded himself.

"Right, well, I hope you feel better soon."

He started to walk off, when she asked, "When's your friend getting here to pick you up? Is it soon?" Oh, right. The only way he'd convinced Belle to let him drive her home was to claim that he had a friend picking him up. The truth was, he'd known she needed to get home; she'd mentioned that her boyfriend was going to pick her up later, so he'd decided he could brave the taxi; for her.

"He should be here any second," Gold lied easily.

"Alright, I'll see you later, then."

"See you later." She closed the door, and he resisted the urge to lean against it like in one of those sappy movies. She wanted to see him later, and just the thought made his heart soar.

…

Killian paced in his new room, trying to weigh the pros and cons of moving. He almost wished Archie hadn't suggested it; because then he wouldn't have to make the choice. Sure, Killian wanted to move, because every time he looked at the town, it reminded him of his father. However, Killian couldn't imagine leaving his raft, lake, or cave behind. Those were the only places he'd ever truly felt safe, and abandoning them was a terrifying prospect for the teen.

Maybe, just maybe, he could take his raft with him? They could find a new lake, and he could make a new secret base. That way, he could get away from the fear his father had created in him, and still have his life of adventure. Deciding that was the best course of action, if he really could take his raft with him, Killian went downstairs to find Archie. His foster father needed to know what he thought.

After a little of searching, Killian found Archie in his office, surrounded by stacks of paper and writing stuff down. Killian had no idea what he was doing besides that it pertained to his job, but whatever it was looked super complicated. He cleared his throat, and Archie jumped, only now realizing Killian was in the room. "Hi, Killian," he greeted.

"What are you working on?" Killian asked, suddenly interested.

"I'm catching up on paperwork, but we can talk. Actually, someone from social services called a little bit ago, and they reminded me that you have to go back to school soon. But, you were homeschooled, right?"

Of course they had to talk about his dad right now. "Yeah. He said he didn't ever want me to be out of his sight, so I couldn't escape him." Killian missed the pained look that crossed across his new guardian's face. "But, Archie, before you enroll me in school, I think I've decided that I want to move." He paused for a second, before realizing he'd forgotten the most important part. "I can bring the raft, right?"

"Um, sure Killian," Archie agreed. "You really want to move?" The teen nodded adamantly. He needed to get away from the fear his father had caused, and the best way to do that was to get far away from the places his father had been. "Well, alright then, I guess I should start house hunting," he said to himself.

"Can I help?" Killian asked. He'd love to be able to do something useful, even if he'd probably just get in Archie's way.

To his surprise, Archie smiled. "I'd love your help, Killian." The teen walked over to where Archie was pulling out a laptop, ready to find them a new house. Excitement coursed through Killian as the knowledge that he was going to get a better life sunk in even more. Finally, after years of putting up with his father, he had a chance at a good future.

…

Bae sat in class next to Regina and Ruby, trying not to grin as both girls scowled at him. Ever since returning from being kidnapped, everyone at school was looking up to him. Even some of the older kids seemed impressed at how well he was taking it.

At first, he'd tried telling them he hadn't really done that much; he wasn't that brave and if it wasn't for his Papa, Belle, Emma's parents, and other friends, he would still be kidnapped. But then, he'd started to enjoy all the attention. All of his classmates thought he was a hero! Bae decided he wanted to be the hero, and the story of his kidnapping had changed drastically from the way he originally told it. Now, instead of claiming he'd done nothing, Bae told all of his friends that he had protected Belle and single-handedly arrested all twenty kidnappers before the rescue team had even got there. You know, maybe he should make it a hundred; that way he'd be even more of a hero.

Anyway, that was why both Ruby and Regina were glaring at him. They didn't like him saying he was a hero, for some reason. They said he was, 'letting it go to his head,' whatever that meant. Luckily, Ruby didn't seem to know what it meant either, she'd just agreed with Regina.

"August, he's not really that awesome!" Regina exclaimed when Baden didn't correct the classmate himself. "He couldn't take out that many grown-ups all on his own!"

"But he did, and he's so cool!" August exclaimed. "Baden, I'll give you half of my cookie if you tell me how you defeated the grown-ups." He was getting some of a cookie, and he got to tell his story? This was amazing!

"Sure, August." The boy smiled, but Regina huffed.

"That's it Baden! If you're going to keep lying, than Ruby and I aren't going to be your friends anymore!" Ruby looked taken aback by the severe statement.

"Well, maybe we can just not be his friend for a little bit," she suggested, but Bae didn't like that answer any better.

"No! If you guys can't see how awesome I am, then I don't want to be your friend anymore!"

Ruby looked pretty hurt by that, but Regina was just angry. "Good, because we don't want to be your friends! Come on Ruby." Ruby looked back and forth between Regina and Baden, before ultimately choosing Regina. After all, girls had to stick together.

"Come back when you realize how cool he is!" August yelled after them, before sliding into one of the seats the girls had left open. "It's okay Baden, I know how cool you are." Bae puffed out his chest, glad to be finally spending time with someone who appreciated him. However, he felt a slight twinge of guilt. Maybe he shouldn't have been so mean to his friends. The guilt disappeared as soon as he saw the awe in August's eyes as the boy stared at him. Who needed friends when you could have people who looked up to you? Not Baden Gold, that was for sure.


	4. The Nolans

**Author's Note: Gary is my version of Gaston. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Previously on Recovering:**

**She was dating someone? It felt like his heart was crumbling into tiny pieces, but he should have known someone as special as Belle would have a boyfriend.**

**Robert would need help to tuck his son into bed, and he only knew of one person who Bae had let help in their bedtime ritual before. Luckily, he had Belle's number.**

**"You really want to move?" The teen nodded adamantly. He needed to get away from the fear his father had caused, and the best way to do that was to get far away from the places his father had been. "Well, alright then, I guess I should start house hunting," Archie said to himself.**

**Maybe he shouldn't have been so mean to his friends. The guilt disappeared as soon as Baden saw the awe in August's eyes as the boy stared at him. Who needed friends when you could have people who looked up to you?**

* * *

She tried to pay attention, she really did, but there were only so many times Belle could listen to Gary talk about hunting trips without going crazy. Plus, ever since seeing Baden and Robert a few days ago, she hadn't been able to get them out of her head. Especially since she was still helping Robert tuck Bae in at night. Seeing them every day made her realize how terribly dull Gary was, but she couldn't break up with him just because five-year-olds were more interesting than him, right? What was she thinking? Gary had been there for her the second she got back, ready to help her through the trauma she'd been through despite the fact that she'd refused his proposal, saying she wasn't ready to marry. Really, Gary was a great guy, one any girl would be lucky to have. Except, Belle didn't feel lucky. She felt tied down and bored to tears.

"Belle?" Gary asked, like it was one of the several times he'd tried to get her attention.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just got lost in thought. What were you saying?" He sighed, and Belle braced herself for the lecture she knew was coming. The one Gary always gave her after she brought up her imagination.

"Belle, you know you're an adult now. Focusing on fairy tales and fantasy stories isn't going to help you get a job." He kept going, talking about how she needed to be more practical, like him, and be able to carry on a conversation in the real world. As if she couldn't. Really, the only reason she couldn't converse with Gary was because he brought up the same three or four things over and over again. It was much easier for her to discuss things with Robert, since he always seemed to be able to come up with something clever to say. Speaking of Robert, she technically wasn't supposed to head over to his house until after diner, but she was sure he wouldn't mind seeing her in the middle of the afternoon. Besides, it was a Saturday and she still hadn't gotten a chance to spend time with Bae, other than tucking him in, and she really needed to get away from her boyfriend for a few hours.

"Hey, Gary," she interrupted right as he started on all the jobs she'd be capable of if she would just reign in her imagination. "I have somewhere I need to be."

She felt a little bad lying to him, especially since he believed her so easily, but soon she was on her way to Robert's house. Hopefully, he was there and she'd get to spend some quality time with Baden. And, of course, his father.

…

"It's bloody beautiful," he murmured to himself, staring at the lake behind the neighborhood he and Archie were considering moving into. The waters looked a lot calmer than his lake, and there was no cave insight, but he had a feeling he'd love this lake even more than the last one. Of course, there was no way to tell until he got his raft onto the water, but hopefully …

"Who are you?" Killian whirled around, starting to feel a little panic growing in his chest, to see a young, blonde girl was the one speaking. He relaxed once he realized there was no danger.

"I'm Captain Killian Jones," he introduced himself, deciding to make a good first impression. The young girl looked very awestruck, as intended. "Now who might you be, lass?"

She giggled, obviously thrilled he'd called her 'lass.' "I'm Emma. Are you a pirate?"

"Aye," he said, making her giggle again. He really liked making her laugh, it made him feel happier. He wondered if that was why Archie counseled people; because making someone happy made you happier.

"Can I be one too?"

"Sure. You can be my first mate. First Mate Emma."

She smiled, but it turned to a frown in half a second, and Killian wondered what he'd done wrong. "I need a last name, like you."

Thank goodness, it wasn't him that had made her upset. "Uh, what's your last name?"

"No, mine would make it boring." She scrunched up her face as she thought. "Oh, I know! Swan! I'll be First Mate Emma Swan!" Somehow, Killian thought her real last name would be more pirate-like than swan, but he really didn't want to disappoint her.

"Alright, Miss Swan. You'll be the first mate of the _Jolly Rodger_, as soon as it gets here, and then we can sail the seven seas together."

"You have a real pirate ship?" she asked, sounding rather impressed with him.

"Well, kind of. It's a raft, but when I'm out on the water it becomes a pirate ship," he explained. She nodded, eyes wide in wonder.

"When does it get here?"

"As soon as we actually move here; assuming Archie and I buy the house."

"I hope you do. I want to be a pirate." He chuckled at her enthusiasm, and decided instantly that he wanted to live here, and not just for the lake. He wanted to be Emma's friend, and maybe even brother if she'd let him. Not a real brother, but someone who functioned like one. "I wish we could have a pirate fort."

"Why can't we, lass?" he asked.

"Well, Mommy and Daddy said it's part of the rules of living in the neighborhood; we can't have tree houses or forts or anything."

Man, that wasn't fair. Except … "Well, if we hide it in the trees over there, how will they know that we have a fort?" The little girl looked at him like he was a bloody genius.

"Yes! Only, we can't tell my parents, or they won't let us."

"Sounds good to me, lass. I bet I could build a fort." After saving the life of a drowning man and helping rescue his kidnapped son, building a fort should be easy.

"Emma?" someone yelled, sounding worried. Whoever it was must have seen her talking to him, and must think he was a bad influence for her. He probably wasn't going to get to see her ever again.

"I'm over here, Mommy!" she yelled, and soon the adult was in sight. Killian was shocked. Emma's mother was Mary Margaret?

"Emma, and Killian!" If anything, she looked relieved to see him.

"Hi Mary Margaret."

"Archie's been looking all over the neighborhood for you. You have him worried sick!" Oops. Maybe he shouldn't have left to go see the lake. But, he was pretty sure the relator hated his questions, and he didn't want to put up with her, so he'd simply slipped away; like how he normally dealt with his problems.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," he muttered, looking down at his feet. He'd only been living with Archie for a little bit, but it seemed like he disappointed his foster father almost every day. He couldn't seem to do anything right.

"Wait, Mommy, you know Killian?" Emma asked.

"Yes, he helped rescue Baden."

"You're a hero?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Well, I tried to help Baden as best as I could, but I wouldn't really call myself a hero." She looked even more impressed now, as if saying he wasn't a hero made him more of one.

"Well, I don't think Mr. Gold would agree with that assessment," Mary Margaret chimed in. "Now, come on, we need to go find Archie and tell him you're alright."

"Okay," he said, feeling a little dread seeping in. He was probably going to get a lecture again, and while Archie had proved he was nothing like Killian's birth father, the teen still had the irrational fear that Archie would yell at him and hurt him at some point.

"And Emma, you need to clean your room if you want Baden to come over. He'll be here soon, and I don't want to have to send him away because you couldn't clean your room," Mary Margaret reminded as they walked toward Emma's house.

"But I don't want him to come over. I'm having too much fun with Killian." That made him feel cool and special. He'd never had someone prefer to spend time with him than be with someone else.

"Well, Emma, either way you have to clean your room, and just because Baden's coming over doesn't mean that Killian has to leave."

"Fine," Emma grumbled as Mary Margaret opened the fence to her backyard. "I'll be right back," Emma informed him, before running into the house; no doubt to clean her room so he could hang out with her.

"Archie was out front a second ago," Mary Margaret informed him as they moved from the backyard to the front. Sure enough, Archie was standing next to David, worry written all over his face as David tried to reassure him.

"Killian can't have gone far, I'm sure he's …"

"Hey." Both men looked over, and before Killian realized exactly what was happening, Archie was hugging him. Even though he was guilty that Archie had been so worried about him, Killian couldn't help but feel joy at the thought that Archie loved him enough to get this worried. "Sorry, I just wanted to see the lake."

Archie didn't respond right away; hugging him for a little longer before addressing the situation. "Killian, you need to tell me where you're going, you can't just walk off on me." Unlike last time Archie had addressed this, Killian understood completely why it was so important for him to tell his foster father what was going on. He didn't want Archie to worry about him when he was completely safe.

"I'm really sorry, Archie. I won't do it again."

"Alright." And that was the end of the lecture. He didn't try to continue when he knew he'd gotten his point across, and Killian was honestly surprised there weren't going to be any further repercussions.

"Hello Killian," David greeted once he realized Archie was done parenting.

"Hey David."

Then something slammed into him, and Killian looked down to see Emma standing right next to him, breathless because of the speed she'd been running. "My room's clean. Do you want to see it?"

"Sure." He ignored Archie's questioning look as Emma pulled him toward the house.

"Honey, Baden should be here in a second. Why don't you wait for him?"

This time, Killian noticed the hurt look that crossed Emma's eyes before she said, "Fine," and dragged him onto the porch to wait.

"Hey, Emma, is everything alright between you and Baden?"

The little girl crossed her arms, huffed once, and then decided to vent literally everything to her new friend. "He brags all the time about being super brave and defeating grown-ups, which I know he didn't do, and now I can't play with him a recess because he's always telling other kids how awesome he was. But, he's lying and lies are bad. Plus, Mommy and Daddy saved him, they didn't need saving."

Okay, so he'd been right; Baden and Emma were arguing. Not only that, but it seemed like Baden was having a hard time adjusting after being kidnapped. "Have you told your parents about this?" If Mary Margaret and David knew what was going on, Killian had no doubt they'd know how to fix it.

"No. I don't want to." Killian sighed, wondering what on earth he was supposed to do. Playing the older brother was a little harder than he'd originally thought, and unfortunately, he didn't have time to think any further as a car pulled up. It looked like Robert and Baden were here.

…

Half an hour ago…

"Come on Bae!" Robert yelled, a bit exasperated with his son. He'd thought his son would want to spend more time with his friends after everything that had happened, but for some reason, his son seemed reluctant to play with Emma today. But, despite how his son was feeling, Robert needed to spend time with the Nolans. He really needed to spend time with people who understood what he was going through, so they were going to the Nolan's house, whether Bae wanted to or not. Besides, he knew his son would have fun once they got there.

"Do we have to go?" his son asked, finally appearing at the top of the stairs, but he was moving slower than a snail as he trudged down the stairs toward his father.

"Yes. You'll have fun. Now come on, we don't want to be late."

Baden sighed, but started to move a little faster. Now he had a slight chance of beating a snail at a race. Robert was about to prompt him again, when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Deciding he'd convince his son to speed up after he discovered who was at the door, Robert went to answer it. "Belle?" he asked, surprised to see her on his doorstep. She wasn't planning on dropping by until later, or at least that's what he'd thought.

"Belle!" Robert had no idea how Bae had time to get from the stairs to the door, but apparently the little boy could be fast; when he wanted to.

"Hey, Bae! Hello Robert. Sorry I'm early, I was just wondering if now was a good time to hang out with Bae?"

"Yeah! Please, Papa?" Bae asked in his most innocent voice. Robert scowled, and decided he wouldn't let his son manipulate him.

"Belle, we were about to go over to the Nolans." Her face instantly fell, and despite having to stay firm with Bae, he didn't want to disappoint her. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Sure!" she replied almost instantly, face lighting up at the prospect of spending time with Bae. Just Bae, probably, Robert reminded himself. "Let's go!"

Only Baden seemed unhappy by this, dragging his feet once more as they made their way to the car. "But Papa, I wanted to hang out with just Belle," he finally said as Robert was helping him buckle up.

"Some other time, Bae. Emma's already excited to see you." Baden pouted, and Robert ignored him. He'd been in a bad mood all day; maybe he just hadn't gotten enough sleep. Regardless, trying to figure out what was wrong hadn't gone well at all, so Robert had no choice but to act like nothing was wrong until Baden decided to confide in him. Hopefully, his boy's mood would change once they got to the Nolan's house, because otherwise, this was going to be a long day.


End file.
